A Companion to Narrative Theory (Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture)

The 35 original essays in A Companion to Narrative Theory constitute the best available introduction to this vital and contested field of humanistic enquiry. The essays represent all the major critical approaches to narrative – narratological, rhetorical, feminist, post-structuralist, historicist – and investigate and debate the relations among them. In addition, they stretch the boundaries of the field by considering narratives in different disciplines, such as law and medicine, and in a variety of media, including film, music, and painting. The volume is divided into six parts: competing accounts of the history of the field; examinations of recurrent problems; suggestions for theoretical revisions and innovations; explorations of the relations among form, history, politics, and ethics; analyses of the way narrative operates in different disciplines and in media beyond the written word; and speculations about the future of narrative and of narrative theory. At the same time, it offers provocative analyses of a wide range of works, both canonical and popular, from the Bible through novels by Dickens, Woolf, and Arundhati Roy on to Bernard Herrmann’s film music and the action paintings of Jackson Pollock. Among its contributors are many of the leading figures in the field, including such early pioneers as Wayne C. Booth, Seymour Chatman, J. Hillis Miller, and Gerald Prince. The 35 Original Essays In A Companion To Narrative Theory Constitute The Best Available Introduction To This Vital And Contested Field Of Humanistic Enquiry. The Essays Represent All The Major Critical Approaches To Narrative - Narratological, Rhetorical, Feminist, Post-structuralist, Historicist - And Investigate And Debate The Relations Among Them. In Addition, They Stretch The Boundaries Of The Field By Considering Narratives In Different Disciplines, Such As Law And Medicine, And In A Variety Of Media, Including Film, Music, And Painting.--jacket. 1. Histories Of Narrative Theory (i):a Genealogy Of Early Developments: David Herman (ohio State University) -- 2. Histories Of Narrative Theory (ii): From Structuralism To The Present: Monika Fludernik (university Of Freiburg) -- 3. Ghosts And Monsters: On The (im)possibility Of Narrating The History Of Narrative Theory: Brian Mchale (ohio State University) Part I: New Light On Stubborn Problems -- 4. Resurrection Of The Implied Author: Why Bother? Wayne C. Booth (university Of Chicago) -- 5. Reconceptualizing Unreliable Narration: Synthesizing Cognitive And Rhetorical Approaches: Ansgar F. Nünning (justus-liebig-university Of Giessen) 6. Authorial Rhetoric, Narratorial (un)reliability, Divergent Readings: Tolstoy's Kreutzer Sonata: Tamar Yacobi (tel-aviv University) 7. Henry James And Focalization, Or Why James Loves Gyp: J. Hillis Miller (university Of California At Irvine) 8. What Narratology And Stylistics Can Do For Each Other: Dan Shen (peking [beijing] University) 9. The Pragmatics Of Narrative Fiction: Richard Walsh (university Of York) Part Ii: Revisions And Innovations 10. Beyond The Poetics Of Plot: Alternative Forms Of Narrative Progression And The Multiple Trajectories Of Ulysses: Brian Richardson (university Of Maryland) 11. They Shoot Tigers, Don't They?: Path And Counterpoint In The Long Goodbye: Peter J. Rabinowitz (hamilton College) 12. Spatial Poetics And Arundhati Roy's The God Of Small Things: Susan Stanford Friedman (university Of Wisconsin-madison) 13. The I Of The Beholder: Equivocal Attachments And The Limits Of Structuralist Narratology: Susan S. Lanser (brandeis University) 14. Neonarrative; Or, How To Render The Unnarratable In Realist Fiction And Contemporary Film: Robyn R. Warhol (university Of Vermont) 15. Self-consciousness As A Narrative Feature And Force: Tellers Vs. Informants In Generic Design: Meir Sternberg (tel-aviv University) 16. Effects Of Sequence, Embedding, And Ekphrasis In Poe's The Oval Portrait: Emma. Kafalenos (washington University In St. Louis) 17. Mrs. Dalloway's Progeny: The Hours As Second-degree Narrative: Seymour Chatman (university Of California, Berkeley) Part Iii: Narrative Form And Its Relationship To History, Politics, And Ethics 18. Genre, Repetition, Temporal Order:some Aspects Of Biblical Narratology: David H. Richter (cuny) 19. Why Won't Our Terms Stay Put?: The Narrative Communication Diagram Scrutinized And Historicized: Harry E. Shaw (cornell University) 20. Gender And History In Narrative Theory: The Problem Of Retrospective Distance In David Copperfield And Bleak House: Alison Case (williams College) 21. Narrative Judgments And The Rhetorical Theory Of Narrative: Ian Mcewan's Atonement: James Phelan (ohio State University) 22. The Changing Faces Of Mount Rushmore: Collective Portraiture And Participatory National Heritage: Alison Booth (university Of Virginia) 23. The Trouble With Autobiography: Cautionary Notes For Narrative Theorists: Sidonie Smith (university Of Michigan) And Julia Watson (ohio State University) 24. On A Postcolonial Narratology: Gerald Prince (university Of Pennsylvania) 25. Modernist Soundscapes And The Intelligent Ear: An Approach To Narrative Through Auditory Perception: Melba Cuddy-keane (university Of Toronto) 26. In Two Voices, Or: Whose Life/death/story Is It, Anyway? Shlomith Rimmon-kenan (hebrew University Of Jerusalem) Part Iv: Beyond Literary Narrative 27. Narrative In And Of The Law: Peter Brooks (university Of Virginia) 28. Second Nature, Cinematic Narrative, The Historical Subject, And Russian Ark: Alan Nadel (rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) 29. Narrativizing The End: Death And Opera: Linda Hutcheon (university Of Toronto) And Michael Hutcheon (university Of Toronto) 30. Music And/as Cine-narrative Or: Ceci N'est Pas Un Leitmotif: Royal S. Brown (city University Of New York). 31. Classical Instrumental Music And Narrative: Fred E. Maus (university Of Virginia) 32. I'm Spartacus!: Catherine Gunther Kodat (hamilton College) 33. Shards Of A History Of Performance Art: Pollock And Namuth Through A Glass, Darkly: Peggy Phelan (stanford University) Epilogue 34. Narrative And Digitality: Learning To Think With The Medium: Marie-laure Ryan (author) 35. The Future Of All Narrative Futures: H. Porter Abbott. Edited By James Phelan And Peter J. Rabinowitz. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. A Companion to Narrative Theory......Page 5 Contents ......Page 8 Notes on Contributors......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 19 Introduction: Tradition and Innovation in Contemporary Narrative Theory......Page 21 Prologue......Page 37 1 Histories of Narrative Theory (I): A Genealogy of Early Developments......Page 39 2 Histories of Narrative Theory (II): From Structuralism to the Present......Page 56 3 Ghosts and Monsters: On the (Im)Possibility of Narrating the History of Narrative Theory......Page 80 PART I New Light on Stubborn Problems......Page 93 4 Resurrection of the Implied Author: Why Bother?......Page 95 5 Reconceptualizing Unreliable Narration: Synthesizing Cognitive and Rhetorical Approaches......Page 109 6 Authorial Rhetoric, Narratorial (Un)Reliability, Divergent Readings: Tolstoy’s Kreutzer Sonata......Page 128 7 Henry James and ‘‘Focalization,’’ or Why James Loves Gyp......Page 144 8 What Narratology and Stylistics Can Do for Each Other......Page 156 9 The Pragmatics of Narrative Fictionality......Page 170 PART II Revisions and Innovations......Page 185 10 Beyond the Poetics of Plot: Alternative Forms of Narrative Progression and the Multiple Trajectories of Ulysses......Page 187 11 They Shoot Tigers, Don’t They?: Path and Counterpoint in The Long Goodbye......Page 201 12 Spatial Poetics and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things......Page 212 13 The ‘‘I’’ of the Beholder: Equivocal Attachments and the Limits of Structuralist Narratology......Page 226 14 Neonarrative; or, How to Render the Unnarratable in Realist Fiction and Contemporary Film......Page 240 15 Self-consciousness as a Narrative Feature and Force: Tellers vs. Informants in Generic Design......Page 252 16 Effects of Sequence, Embedding, and Ekphrasis in Poe’s ‘‘The Oval Portrait’’......Page 273 17 Mrs. Dalloway’s Progeny: The Hours as Second-degree Narrative......Page 289 PART III Narrative Form and its Relationship to History, Politics, and Ethics......Page 303 18 Genre, Repetition, Temporal Order: Some Aspects of Biblical Narratology......Page 305 19 Why Won’t Our Terms Stay Put? The Narrative Communication Diagram Scrutinized and Historicized......Page 319 20 Gender and History in Narrative Theory: The Problem of Retrospective Distance in David Copperfield and Bleak House......Page 332 21 Narrative Judgments and the Rhetorical Theory of Narrative: Ian McEwan’s Atonement......Page 342 22 The Changing Faces of Mount Rushmore: Collective Portraiture and Participatory National Heritage......Page 357 23 The Trouble with Autobiography: Cautionary Notes for Narrative Theorists......Page 376 24 On a Postcolonial Narratology......Page 392 25 Modernist Soundscapes and the Intelligent Ear: An Approach to Narrative Through Auditory Perception......Page 402 26 In Two Voices, or: Whose Life/Death/Story Is It, Anyway?......Page 419 PART IV Beyond Literary Narrative......Page 433 27 Narrative in and of the Law......Page 435 28 Second Nature, Cinematic Narrative, the Historical Subject, and Russian Ark......Page 447 29 Narrativizing the End: Death and Opera......Page 461 30 Music and/as Cine-Narrative or: Ceci n’est pas un leitmotif......Page 471 31 Classical Instrumental Music and Narrative......Page 486 32 ‘‘I’m Spartacus!’’......Page 504 33 Shards of a History of Performance Art: Pollock and Namuth Through a Glass, Darkly......Page 519 Epilogue......Page 533 34 Narrative and Digitality: Learning to Think With the Medium......Page 535 35 The Future of All Narrative Futures......Page 549 Glossary......Page 562 Index......Page 572